AMERICAS: Two small bombs exploded in the Colombian capital of Bogota on Thursday afternoon, injuring seven, according to Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas.

ASIA: At least 30 Afghan police personnel have been killed since heavy clashes broke out between Taliban militants and security forces in Afghanistan’s eastern Wardak province, reported local media on Friday.

EUROPE: Turkey has deployed additional troops and equipment along part of its border with Syria but PM Ahmet Davutoglu said there were no immediate plans for any incursion.

MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian Authority forces arrested 100 Hamas members in the West Bank in the biggest raid of its kind in years.

TECHNOLOGY: Turkey has restricted students from posting pictures and opinions about school life on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, local media said Thursday.

TOP STORY

Greece: Public opinion hints at ‘Yes’ vote for Sunday’s referendum

A ‘No’ in the country’s referendum on Sunday would not strengthen Athens’ position in talks with its creditors, said EU Commission deputy president Valdis Dombrovskis on Friday.

PM Alexis Tsipras is advocating a “no” vote on Sunday, saying it would give him a mandate to negotiate a better deal for Greece within the eurozone.

Supporters of Greece’s bailout terms have taken a wafer-thin lead over the “No” vote backed by the leftist government, a poll showed.

The mounting economic pressure on Greece since its banks were forced to close on Monday appears to be swaying public opinion, analysts say.

Burundi: East African leaders are to meet on Monday in the latest bid to resolve the political crisis in the country, after controversial elections were internationally condemned for not being free and fair. (AFP)

Colombia: Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao met with Colombian Congress President Jose David Name Cardozo in Beijing on Friday morning, vowing greater cooperation between the two countries. (Xinhua)

Mexico: An explosion has rocked the headquarters of Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission in Ecatepec but no injuries were immediately reported. (AFP)

ASIA

Region: Three Chinese coast guard vessels entered what Japan considers its territorial waters near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Friday, Japanese authorities said. (DPA)

Afghanistan: At least 30 Afghan police personnel have been killed since heavy clashes broke out between Taliban militants and security forces in Jalrez district of eastern Wardak province, reported local media on Friday. (Xinhua)

Australia: Members of an Australian charity, set up to help Syrian orphans, are under investigation for alleged links to Islamic State (IS). (Xinhua)

Thailand: Thai forces have shot dead seven suspected drug smugglers and seized six bags of heroin after a firefight near the Myanmar border, an official said. (AFP)

EUROPE

Italy: The country has agreed to boost military cooperation with China during a meeting between Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), and Italian Defense Ministry secretary-general Enzo Stefanini on Friday. (Xinhua)

Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to hold a meeting of the Security Council on Friday to discuss the measures on neutralizing national security threats amid international sanctions. (TASS)

Turkey: The country has deployed additional troops and equipment along part of its border with Syria but PM Ahmet Davutoglu said there were no immediate plans for any incursion. (Reuters)

United Kingdom: Queen Elizabeth II and PM David Cameron will hold a minute’s silence on Friday, a week after a gun massacre at a Tunisian beach resort in which 30 out of the 38 victims were Britons. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank on Friday after he threw stones at their patrol, Palestinian medical and security sources said. (AFP)

Region: Palestinian Authority forces arrested 100 Hamas members in the West Bank in the biggest raid of its kind in years. (AP)

Bahrain: The country is beefing up security measures around the country’s mosques over threats made by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, the interior ministry said. (Al-Jazeera)

Yemen: Saudi-led air strikes and clashes in the city of Aden killed 13 Shiite Huthi rebels and eight pro-government fighters Friday, military sources said. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications: North Korea is blacklisting and blocking social media accounts and websites deemed to carry harmful content. (AP)

Technology: Turkey has restricted students from posting pictures and opinions about school life on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, local media said Thursday. (AFP)